Villafranca del Bierzo

Villafranca del Bierzo is a municipality in the province of León, Castilla y León, situated at the confluence of the Burbia and Valcarce rivers at the entry of the Valcarce gorge. The town was historically a major staging post on the Camino Frances and has a compact historic centre of considerable architectural quality.

The church of Santiago has a Romanesque north portal known as the Puerta del Perdón, through which pilgrims too ill to complete the journey to Santiago could receive the same indulgence as those who reached the cathedral. The castle of the Marquis of Villafranca, a sixteenth-century fortified palace, and the medieval bridge over the Burbia are the other principal landmarks.

For pilgrims, Villafranca del Bierzo is the last significant town in the province of León before the Galician border, offering full services and the emotionally significant option of the Puerta del Perdón for those who need it.